Territory



PRINS- Patented Aug. 23, |3g3 WASHING MACHINE.

Application med Feb. 14, 189e.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

W0 Model.)

No. 609,627. Patented Aug. 23, |898. J. B. PRING.

WASHING MACHINE.

(Application led Feb. 14, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Smet 2.

(No Model.)

NiTnn STATES PATENT Fries.

WASHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part bf Letters ratent N.` 6o9,627, dated August 2e, 189s. .Application filed February 14:,` 1898. fSerial No. 670,252. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN RICHARD PRING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Shawnee, in the county of Pottawatomie and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing- Machines and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact ,description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. y

My present invention relates to a novel washing-machine, and has for its object the production of a simple, durable, and efficient device of this character by means of which fabrics may be thoroughly cleansed without undue wear or abrasion. I

To the accomplishment of this and other. objects subordinate thereto my invention consists in the provision of a stationary rubbingframe carried by a swinging casing mounted in a suitable receptacle or box and over the surface of which the clothes are designed to be carried with some friction by novel mechanism to be described and are urged toward the rubber and are held in contactwithits faces by yielding rubbers or scrubbing-boards mounted above and below the stationary rubber.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and in thearrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed. Y

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my machine complete. Fig.' 2 is a central vertical section therethrough.l Fig. 3 isa top plan view showing the cover thrown back.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, I indicates a suitable receptacle of any desired form and dimensions, but preferably' rectangular, as illustrated, mounted upon legs or standards 2 and preferablyincliued slightly in Order to bring the body of contained water toward the lower or front end of the receptacle. l

3 indicates the main or power shaft, extending across the top of the receptacle adjacent to its rear end and journaled in the upper ends of the standards 2. The extremity of saidV shaft is provided with a sprocket Wheel 4, preferably located within a vertical slot in the standard and geared by means of a sprocketchain 5 to a comparatively large power-Wheel 6, journaledv in a vertical extension 7 of the forwardV standard 2 on the same side, any suitable means for applying power to the power-wheel being provided-21s, for instance, the crank 8 illustrated.

9 indicates whatmay be termed a pivoted rubber-frame, consisting of the side pieces lO, extending, preferably, slightly above the top of the receptacle, and an open bottom Il. The 4main shaft 3 passes through this rubberframe and constitutes a pivotal support for the rear end thereof, the front ends being designed to rest upon the bottom of the receptacle.

12 indicates a ,stationary rubber located Within the pivoted rubber-frame at a point intermediate of its ends and preferably composed of a series Of transverse rollers arranged in parallel planes, although, as will be obvious, the arrangement of these rollers 13 may be varied in order to form the surface or face of the stationary rubber as experience will dictate.

14 indicates a transverse longitudinally-corrugated rollerfrnounted upon the power-shaft 3 within the rubber-frame adjacent to the upper. `end of the stationary rubber, and l5 indicates a similar roller mounted` upon a shaft 16, journaled' at its opposite ends in the side pieces of therubber-frame adjacent to the' lower or front end of the stationary rubber.

The rollerslt and l5 are preferably provided with circumferential grooves I7 for the reception of two endless conveyers, which may be cables of anydesired construction passed around the rollers li and 15 and above and below the stationary rubber, suitable spring clamps or loops IS being provided upon the conveyers' for attaching the clothes.

. It will now be observed that when the fabric to be cleansed is attached to the endless cont veyers and thepower-shaftv is actuated the clothes will becarried across the face of the stationaryrubbe'r both above and below; but itwill be obvious that some means must be provided for urging the fabric into sufficient frictional contact with the face of the rollers composingthe rubber to produce the abrasion necessary to thoroughly pulverize and distribute the dirt in order to facilitate its re- IooV moval by the water within the receptacle. I therefore provide what may be termed yielding rubbers, located above and below the stationary rubber and designed to constant-ly urge the clothes in contact therewith under yielding pressure. One of these rubbers is composed of longitudinally-extending side bars 20, extending beneath the stationary rubber and terminating beneath the rollers 14 and 15, the side bars being connected bya substantially horizontal series of transverse rollers 21. Any suitable means may be provided for urging the rubber and for permitting it to yield as the fabric passing between it and the stationary rubber is more or less bulky. The simplest form of such mechanism consists of rods 22, extending upwardly from the bottom of the pi voted rubber-frame and passing through openings in the side bars of the yielding rubber, spiral or other suitable springs 23 being interposed between the bottom of the pivoted frame and the yielding rubber. The yielding rubber designed to cooperate with the upper surface or face of the stationary rubber is constructed and mounted in a manner identical with the construction and mounting of the rubber just described; but it is located upon the inner face of the hinged cover 24 of the receptacle 1 in such relative position as to bring it immediately over the stationary rubber when the cover is turned Adown or closed, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In operation the water contained within the receptacle submerges the fabric as itis passed under the stationary rubber, and as the fabric is drawn over said rubber and the corrugated rollers 14 and 15 the water is pressed out of the fabric and caused to iiow back into the bod)T of the device. This produces an alternate saturation and expulsion which serves to effectually dislodge the dirt from the fabric and cause its retention by the water. It has been found desirable to provide additional means for rubbing and compressing the fabric, and I therefore employ a vertically-disposed auxiliary-rubber frame 25, composed of vertical side'bars 26, pivoted at their lower extremities adjacent to the upper or rear lower corners of the pivoted rubber-frame and connected adjacent to their upper ends by transverse rollers 27. The rollers 27 are arranged in a vertically-curved series conforming approximately to the curvature of the corrugated roller 14, against which the auxiliary frame is designed to be yieldingly urged by springs 28, secured at their opposite ends to the sides of the pivoted rubber-frame and to the upper ends of the side bars of the auxiliary frame. By this means the fabric as it travels in an upward direction between the upper yielding rubber and the stationary rubber is relieved of a large portion of the contained water and is additionally wrung by passing between the roller 14 and the springurged auxiliary frame. It then passes in the manner described through the body of water and between the lower yielding rubberframe and the under surface of the stationary rubber.

The lid or cover of the receptacle 1 maybe comparatively short in order to provide a trough 29 at the front of the receptacle to catch the drip from an ordinary clotheswringer, which in practice may be clamped to my machine in order that the clothes may be thoroughly wrung and the water evacuated when the dirt and debris have been removed.

I do not desire to limit myself to the structural details illustrated and described, but reserve the right to eect such structural departures as may be within the scope of the protection prayed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In a washing-machine, the combination of a stationary rubber, of yielding rubbers opposed to the opposite sides of the stationary rubber and extending parallel thereto, -the yielding rubbers being iiexibly supported at both ends, land means for conveying fabric between said rubbers, substantially as specified.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination with a receptacle, of a swinging rubber-frame mounted therein, a stationary rubber carried by said frame, a rubber arranged parallel to the stationary rubber and yieldingly urged toward the same, a conveyer designed to force fabric between the rubbers, and an auxiliary rubber at one end of the stationary rubber comprising a curved series of rollers, substantially as described.

3. In a washing-machine, the combination with a receptacle, of a stationary rubber,yield ing rubbers mounted above and below the stationaryrubber, corrugated rollers contiguous to the opposite ends of the rubber, an endless conveyer passing around said rollers and the stationary rubber, and a yielding auxiliary rubber urged against one of the corrugated rollers, substantially as specified.

4. In a washing-machine, the combination with a receptacle, of a swinging rubber-frame therein, a stationary rubber and a spring-actuated yielding rubber carried by said frame, corrugated rollers contiguous to the ends of the stationary rubber, endless conveyers passing around the rollers and stationary rubber, a hinged cover for the receptacle, and a springactuated yielding rubber carried by said cover and designed to cooperate with the stationary rubber and to be thrown out of action when the cover is lifted, substantially as specified. y

5. In a washing-machine, the combination with a receptacle, of a rubber-frame pivoted at one end within the receptacle, a stationary rubber carried by the rubber-frame and composed of an endless series of transversely-arranged rollers, corrugated rollers contiguous to the opposite ends of the rubber, endless conveyers passing around the rollers and rubber, loops upon said conveyers, a spring-actuated, yielding rubber mounted in the rubber-frame below the'stationary rubber and likewise composed of aseries of rollers, a vertically disposed spring actuated auxiliary rubber-frame, provided with transverse rollers urged toward one of the corrugated rollers, a hinged @over for the receptacle, a yielding rubber Carried by said cover and Composed of a series of rollers, and actuating mechanism upon the exterior of the receptacle and opera- 1o tively connected with one or both of the corrugated rollers, substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN RIGHARD PRING. Witnesses:

THAD. G. CUTLIP, J AMES I-I. GILL. 

